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Chautala against BJP, Congress, to support Third Front govt

Indian National Lok Dal president Om Prakash Chautala today favoured the formation of a Congress-backed Third Front government, ruling out his party's support to either the Vajpayee government or a Congress alternative.

''We will support any Third Front government formed with the help of the Congress,'' he told a press conference.

Chautala, former Haryana chief minister, said his party's four members in the Lok Sabha would oppose any motion of confidence brought about by the Vajpayee government and would extend full support to any no-confidence motion of the opposition.

He said Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal did discuss the issue with him but there was no change in the INLD stand. ''Our family relations does not interfere with our political stand, '' he added.

Chautala scoffed at reports that certain INLD MPs were having divergent views. He asserted that his party's political affairs committee at its meeting in New Delhi had unanimously resolved that the decision to withdraw support from the Vajpayee government was a right step and in national interest. ''The question of revoking this stand does not arise because of the anti-farmers, anti-people, anti-small traders and anti-employees policies pursued by the Vajpayee government,'' he maintained.

Chautala said his party had extended unconditional support to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in the national interest. However, when the prime minister point blank refused to roll back hike in prices of urea and cooking gas, the INLD was left with no choice but to withdraw support. ''There is no question of going back to the BJP again,'' he added.

Replying to another question, the INLD leader said Madan Lal Khurana spoke to him on the phone only. He said it was highly improper for a person like Khurana, who had been sidelined by his own party, to be made a ''mediator''.

Chautala said the Vajpayee government would go due to the intra-party contradictions and not because of the supporting allies.

''Even Home Minister Lal Krishan Advani or for that matter Vajpayee himself too would have now realise the importance of political parties having three or four members in the Lok Sabha,'' he said in reference to Advani's statement that political parties with three or four members in the Lok Sabha were bullying the government.

He said that under the prevailing political situation the Vajpayee government had no other alternative but quit and save the country from further political turmoil. The present government has made the country bankrupt, he alleged.

He said any Third Front government would have a minimum common programme, unlike the present BJP-led government,.

Chautala admitted that without the support of the Congress neither would the Vajpayee government fall nor any other political party could form the government.

UNI

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